


just a bet

by 80srichie



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: I love myself, M/M, This is angsty as fuck, i accidentally tagged this in the wreck it ralph fandom, im also not sorry for that, im not sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-01-23 20:37:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12516068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/80srichie/pseuds/80srichie
Summary: beverly bets richie can't get with the new kid, eddie, in less than three months. richie disagrees.





	1. part i

**HEY HI WADDUP**

**so this is based LOOSELY on will and emma from the scream tv series. if you havent seen it, that doesnt matter bc like…. its not important**

**ANYWAY  
**

**THEY ARE** _SENIORS_ **IN THIS**

**THAT MEANS THEY ARE 18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**PLEASE DONT ATTACK ME FOR THIS BC THE ACTORS HAVE NO RELATION TO THE CHARACTER IM WRITING K THX**

**there won’t be nsfw but there are MENTIONS of it sooooo**

**YEAH**

**anyway enjoy ily all**

**summary:** _beverly bets richie he can’t get with the new kid, eddie, in under three months. richie disagrees_

**pairing:** _richie and eddie_

**words:** _1870_

Everyone at Derry High School knew of the senior Richie Tozier. No matter who they were, what social group they were apart of, they all knew of the trashmouth. Every girl swooned over him and every gay (and possibly ‘not’ gay) guy would beg for his number. He was the ‘It’ guy in his high school and even the other high schools in the Derry school district. It was common knowledge that Richie was bi. Some people said it was fake and that he said it for more attention, but his real friends knew it wasn’t bullshit at all. 

  
Richie strode into the school building that Monday morning, casually sliding off his sunglasses and hooking them in his shirt. People in the hallways snuck glances at him, some even saying hello to him politely as he passed. He nodded in response, flashing them a smile. Richie approached his locker and opened it with ease, getting his few textbooks out. Despite being a ‘jock’, he still cared about his grades. 

  
“Hey, Rich, did you hear about the new kid?” Beverly asked casually, making her presence known. She leaned against the navy blue lockers, a small smile playing on her lips.

  
“I have not, what’s so important about the new kid?” Richie asked, closing his locker. Beverly pushed herself up and started to walk down the hallway with him.   
“Well, I have to give him the tour today. I saw him in the office. He’s cute and gay.” She chuckled, hooking her thumbs in the belt loops of her overalls.

  
“Now, now, Bev. How do you know this poor guy is gay?” Richie asked, shoving his hands in his jean pockets. 

  
“He’s wearing the shortest pair of shorts I’ve ever seen, Richie. I’m serious they’re shorter than some of the ones the girls here wear.”

  
Richie scoffed. “Don’t make assumptions, Marsh. Do I look gay to you?”

  
Beverly stopped him from walking and narrowed her eyes at him, pretending to study him. “Yes.”

  
Richie rolled his eyes, shoving her off of him playfully. “Fuck off.” His tone sounded mad, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

  
The two arrived into their first period of the day, English. Beverly sat in the seat across from Richie, Stan and Bill joining them mere moments later. Beverly was mentioning to the other two guys about the new kid when she gasped quietly.   
“Richie, I have a bet for you.”

  
“Oh, do you?” Richie asked, glancing up at her through his glasses.

  
“I bet you can’t get with the new kid and sleep with him in under three months.” 

She said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. She had a smug smile plastered on her face.

  
Richie narrowed his eyes at her. “And what do I get if I do?”

  
“The satisfaction of completing a bet and keeping your ‘never says no to a bet’ reputation.” She responded, smirking.

  
Richie huffed, leaning back in his chair. “Fine. If I do, however, you have to make out with Bill.”

  
“Hey, I didn’t agree to th-that.” Bill frowned.

 

“Who said you had a choice, Big Bill?” Richie grinned.

* * *

Eddie Kaspbrak didn’t want to move to Derry. He really didn’t. After his parents got divorced, his mother decided the best way of dealing with her problem was to move back to her hometown. Eddie had to leave his friends back in Michigan but his mom never gave him a choice. He never had a say in which parent he lived with when he got to see his dad, but he dealt with it. Every time he brought up the subject, his mother shut him down and insisted she was the ‘better parent’ for him. Eddie despised the thought of starting over in a new school nearly halfway through his senior year.

Eddie sat in the main office, glancing around at the various colorful posters strewn about the room’s walls. “Eddie Kaspbrak.”

  
His head snapped up at the sound of his name, making eye contact with a girl. She had short, fiery red hair and bright blue eyes. “Hi. I’m Beverly.” The girl- Beverly- held out her hand. Eddie stood and shook it, proceeding to grab his backpack and throw it over his shoulder. 

  
“I’m assuming you’re giving my tour?” Eddie asked.

  
Beverly made a noise of agreement, tilting her head towards the main office exit door. “C’mon shortstack. Time’s a-wastin’.”

  
Eddie listened as Beverly explained where all his classes were, what staircases to use, and even where to sit at lunch. She finally stopped in front of a classroom, looking to Eddie. “You should be in 2nd period, Chemistry. Good luck.” Beverly walked off and down a staircase, giving him a wave as she disappeared around the corner.

  
Eddie let out a breath, slowly turning the handle and pushing open the classroom door. Every head in the room turned to look at him as he walked in and he instantly felt nervous.

  
“Ah, you must be the new student. Eddie, is it?” The professor asked.   
Eddie nodded. The teacher pointed to a table in the back corner of the room. “You’re in luck. We assigned new project partners today so you haven’t missed anything. You’ll be partnered with Mr. Tozier.”

  
Eddie glanced over to find a (cute) boy sitting alone at a table. He smiled at Eddie, waving him over. Eddie walked over, sitting down on the empty stool next to the boy.

  
He grinned. “Hey, I’m Richie.” The boy- Richie- said, using his pointer finger to push up the glasses on his nose. “And you’re Eddie.”  
Eddie nodded. “That’s me.”

  
“So, Eds, why’d you move to Derry?” Richie asked, leaning dangerously far back on the stool.

  
“My parents got divorced and my mom grew up here. If I had a choice, I would’ve stayed in Michigan. And don’t call me that. My name is Eddie.”

  
“Whatever ya say, Eds.” He said, winking before sitting on the stool properly.  
Eddie felt himself blush.

* * *

Richie sat in the plastic lunch table chair, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Beverly attempt to braid Stan’s curly hair. Bill glanced over at the entrance to the cafeteria and nudged Richie.

“Hey, it’s the new kid.”

  
Richie glanced over and smiled, watching as Eddie found an empty table and sat down. “Should I ask him to my game?”

  
Beverly chuckled. “Of course. Three months starting now, Tozier!”

Eddie held a plastic tray in his hands, trying to figure out what lunch table to sit at. He looked around the room before spotting an empty table. He walked over and sat down, starting to pick at the ‘food’ he was given.

  
“Hey, Eds!”

  
Eddie nearly jumped out of his seat. “Jesus, Richie.” He mumbled, looking over at him.

  
Richie had a smirk on his face. “I scare ya?”

  
Eddie rolled his eyes, stabbing his plastic fork into the disgusting excuse for green beans. People had warned him about Richie all day, more or less saying ‘do not fall for him.’

  
“So, Eds… You are gonna come to my soccer game after school.” Richie said, leaning back in the chair and smiling.

  
Eddie raised his eyebrow. “I am?”

  
Richie nodded, reaching over and eating a fry from his lunch. “You are!”

  
Eddie frowned smacked his hand away from his food. “Is this your way of trying to help me fit in? Because I’ve heard about you and I’m not interested.”

  
“Heard about me how?”

  
“The fact that you lead everyone around you on.”

  
Richie fake gasped, placing a hand over his heart. “I am offended, Eds! You think I’m a slut?” Well, I was with your mom last night-”

  
Eddie rolled his eyes once more. “If I go to your game, will you shut up?”

  
Richie grinned. “Only for now. See you then, cutie.” He got up, shooting Eddie a wink before walking back over to his friends.

  
Eddie was blushing like mad and silently cursed at himself. He didn’t like Richie, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

* * *

Eddie sat uncomfortably in the stands, annoyed at how loud and obnoxious the students around him were being. He tried to watch the game, but to be completely honest, he didn’t know what was going on. All he knew was Derry High was winning.

  
Richie was sitting on the sidelines beside Stan. “Did he really show?” Stan asked doubtfully. “I don’t think he would.”

  
“Oh, yeah?” Richie retorted. “Top right corner of the far right stand. Blue hoodie.”

  
Stan’s eyes gazed across the crowd before spotting Eddie sitting amongst the rambunctious teenagers. He chuckled, using his mouth to pop open the mouthpiece of his water bottle. “Nice job, Tozier. Think you can do it?”

  
“Of course I can, Stanley. Do you know how easy it is? He blushed because I winked. I’ve got this in the bag.” Richie responded, standing and walking closer to the substitute flag so he could go in for Bill.

  
Eddie watched the game the best he could, trying to keep his eyes on Richie. That’s why he was even here, after all. The large clock said there were 2 minutes remaining in the game. Someone on the team had gotten the ball to Richie, but someone on the other team tripped him. The ref blew the whistle, calling for a direct free kick. Richie placed the ball near the goal where the ref told him to. He took a few steps back, before running and kicking the ball, scoring their team a goal. His team surrounded him as the stands cheered. Derry had won and Richie had scored the winning goal.

  
Eddie made his way out of the stands, leaning against the side of them. He was texting his mother to tell her he was on his way home. As he started to walk away, he heard a voice call out his name. Eddie turned on his heel to find Richie jogging toward him.

  
Eddie made a face at the amount of dirt and sweat that was on him. “You look disgusting.”

  
“Not as disgusting as me and your mom last night,” Richie smirked. Eddie rolled his eyes, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

  
“You’re gross and I’m leaving,” Eddie said, starting to walk away.

  
“Not before going out to get ice cream with me,” Richie called. Eddie stopped walking and turned back around. 

  
“What?”

  
“You and me, ice cream. What more explanation do you want?”

  
“Who said I was going with you?”

  
“I did!”

  
“It seems like I never seem to have a choice with you, do I?”

  
“No. No, you don’t. Stay here, I’m going to go change and shower unless you wanna join me.” Richie winked.

  
“You’re gross and I hate you,” Eddie responded as Richie walked away. Eddie tried to ignore the blush that he felt growing on his face at a mere wink. He couldn’t like Richie. He couldn’t- and wouldn’t.

  
But he did.

* * *

**HEY HELLO**

**i really like this idea so PART TWO??? LEMME KNOW**

**also you can ask to be on the perma taglist or just the taglist for this fic i can do both**


	2. part ii

**hey!**

**sorry this took way longer than i wanted (writers block LOLLLL)**

**but anyway yeah this is lowkey a filler kinda chapter but i like it**

**enjoy!**

**summary:**   _beverly bets richie he can’t get with the new kid, eddie, in under three months. richie disagrees_

**pairing:** _richie and eddie_

**words:** _1698_

* * *

_**2 months and 26 days remaining** _ **  
**

Richie walked into school that day, feeling more confident and happy than he had been in a while. It was odd, yes, but he enjoyed the feeling more than it worried him. He approached his locker, finding Beverly leaning against it. “Why, hello, Beverly. Nice to join me this wonderful morning.”

Beverly snickered. “So, I’m guessing it went well? He show up?”

Richie nodded. “Of course he did!” Richie said, a small smile playing on his lips. “I woo-ed him so good he came to my game and we got ice cream after.”

She chuckled, pushing her hair behind her ear. “I gotta admit, Tozier, you’ve got game.”

He scoffed. “Mrs. Marsh! I’ve always had game, thank you very much. I pride myself in all of my lovable characteristics.”

“Like you have any of those.” Beverly retorted.

“I have so many of those!” Richie defended. “So many, in fact, that we’re getting ice cream after school today.”

Beverly raised an eyebrow. “That sounds suspiciously gay.”

Richie rolled his eyes and chuckled a little. “What an assumption.” He closed his locker and started to walk towards English, where they’d discuss the bet with Bill and Stan.

Beverly sighed. “You know, Eddie isn’t even that attractive. Why didn’t I make you go after like… Mike or something.”

“I like Mike as a friend, Bev, plus Eds is cute from my personal opinion,” Richie said back, sitting down at his table.

“Did you just call him Eds? And cute? Gee, if I didn’t know any better, I would suggest you liked this Eddie Kaspbrak.” Beverly grinned, sitting down in her chair.

Richie shook his head. “I don’t like him. It’s just a bet, that’s all.”

 _But was it?_  Richie never felt like he did around Eddie around anyone else. It was weird how oddly happy he was, giddy even.  _Do I like him?_

 _No_. Richie shook his head a bit as if to get the thought out of his head. He didn’t like Eddie like that. This was a bet and that’s all.  _Just a bet._

Eddie walking through the main hallway, weaving through the many students walking the other direction. Richie had texted Eddie and asked- well- demanded that they go get ice cream again. He wasn’t opposed to it as Richie was paying, but he did find it odd. Everyone was saying Richie was a horrible guy but he didn’t understand where that notion was coming from. He seemed so nice. Annoying, yes, but nice.

“Eds!” Eddie heard as he approached Richie who was leaning against his old, beat-up truck. He rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me that.”

Richie chuckled, reaching in his truck’s open window to unlock it. “Hop in, Eddie Spaghetti.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, opening the squeaky passenger seat door and sitting down. He clicked the belt buckle into place as he looked over at Richie. “Don’t call me that either.”

Richie scoffed. “Then what am I gonna call you?”

“Gee, I don’t know, what about Eddie?” He retorted sassily.

Richie acted like he was pondering it, stroking an invisible beard. “Nah.”

Eddie rolled his eyes again.

“If you keep rolling your eyes, they’ll roll right out of their sockets.” He joked, pushing the car key into the ignition and turning the car on.

“I think I’d like that so I don’t have to do it anymore.”

Eddie tried to hide his smile as Richie laughed, turning into the parking lot of the ice cream shop. Richie turned the truck off, hopping out of it quick enough to open Eddie’s door before he could.

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “I can open the door by myself, you know.”

“I do, however, I am being gentlemanly,” Richie responded.

Eddie resisted the urge to roll his eyes and got out of the truck, following behind Richie who had already started walking towards the door. He opened the door for Eddie, who eyed Richie and mumbled that “he could still open the door himself.”

Richie walked up the counter. The worker, whose nametag said, Rachel. “Oh, Richie, hey!” She gave him a warm smile.

Richie gave her a grin. “Hey, how are you?”

“I’m good. I’m about to get off work in a bit… maybe if you’re free if you’d like to hang out at my place?”

“Well-”

“Oh, c’mon, it’d be fun!”

Eddie watched his conversation from where he was standing behind Richie and he felt his blood boil. Why was he so angry? It was like someone had turned a switch on in him and he immediately felt the need to interject. “He’s not.”

“Excuse me?” She turned to look at Eddie.

“He’s not free.” He repeated. “He’s here with me.”

Richie had a shit-eating grin on his face. “I am here with Eddie Spaghetti.” He said, throwing his arm around Eddie’s shoulder. The girl’s face dropped and it was replaced with one of disgust. “You’re dating him? Really, Richie? You can do so much better than that.”

Richie scoffed. “Well, it’s not really your place, now is it? Maybe I should tell your boyfriend that you’ve tried to cheat on him with me. Twice. Now, that is someone who can do better.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Richie responded, a smirk growing on his face. “Remember when Bella Richardson tried to do the same thing you’re doing? You wrote slut on her locker last month when, big shocker, you were doing the same damn thing! Now, can I order or what?”

She let out a long, frustrated sigh before looking up at a grinning Richie. “What do you want?”

“Finally! I’ll have one scoop of chocolate and Eddie will have one scoop of mint chocolate chip.” He said, handing her a five dollar bill. She gave Richie his change and got the ice cream, sliding it over to them with a fake smile on her face. “Have a nice day.”

Richie gave her one right back, handing Eddie his bowl and walking outside with him. “Wow, Eds, I didn’t think you had it in ya to get jealous like that. Also, mint is gross and tastes like toothpaste. I don’t know how you eat it.”

Eddie nearly choked on his ice cream. “What?”

“I said, mint is gro-”

“Not that! I was not jealous, Tozier.”

“Then what was it?” He asked, looking both ways before crossing the road. “I sure think it was something.”

“I was dealing with her for you,” Eddie replied, following next to him. “Besides, why would I be jealous? I don’t even like you. I only came because you paid.”

Richie gasped. “You don’t like me? Gee, Eds, I thought with all the blushing you’ve been doing that you did.”

Eddie felt his face heat up. “Shut the fuck up. I do not like you, hear me?”

Richie grinned. “Hear ya loud n’ clear.”

“Also, mint does not taste like toothpaste. Have you ever even tried it? It tastes nothing like-” Eddie’s ramble was cut short as he nearly tripped and landed right on his face. Richie reached out, grabbing Eddie’s waist to prevent him from falling. He had dropped his ice cream in the process.

Richie stood Eddie upright and scowled. “I have no ice cream now because of you.”

Eddie was blushing like mad, his stomach had tightened up into knots. All Richie had done was catch him, why did he feel so euphoric? Eddie made a face and handed Richie his. “Try it.”

Richie shook his head.

“Try it!”

“Damn, alright.” He said, taking the spoon from Eddie and putting a small amount of the green ice cream in his mouth. “Okay, I take my previous statement back. That is good.”

Richie hopped into the driver’s seat, turning the car on and immediately turning the radio on as well. He turned the knob up, the speakers sounding like they were on the verge of breaking. “I love this song!”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Africa? You like.. Africa?”

Richie scoffed. “Of course I do!”

Eddie watched as Richie drove, singing the lyrics obnoxiously loudly. He was mumbling the lyrics under his breath. There was a red light as the chorus approached and Richie took the opportunity to look to Eddie. “C’mon! Sing it, I know you know it!”

Eddie looked over at him as it started. “It’s gonna take a lot to take me away from you!” Richie sang, pointing at Eddie.

He smiled, blushing a bit. “There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do!”

Richie grinned. “I bless the rains down in Africa! Gonna take some time to do the things we never had!”

Eddie felt a wave of happiness fall over him. He didn’t know why he felt this way around Richie. In that moment, watching the other boy sing off-key and way too loudly, that he liked Richie. He really did.

Richie snuck a glance over at Eddie, to find him smiling to himself. This caused him to smile as well, continuing to sing the song until it was over. A foreign feeling washed over Richie as he watched the smaller boy drum to the beat in the air with his hands. He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.  _Was this just a bet?_

Richie nearly crashed the car with the thought of that. Of course, it was just a bet. He didn’t like Eddie, it was only for the bet. Sure, he was a cool guy and all but Richie had no romantic feelings for him.

 _Or did he?_  He couldn’t contain his smiles around him and he felt more compelled to be with Eddie.

But it was just a stupid bet. That’s all it’ll ever be, a bet.

* * *

**heeeeyyyyY!YYY**

**wowowowowowow**


	3. part iii

**summary:**   _beverly bets richie he can’t get with the new kid, eddie, in under three months. richie disagrees_

**pairing:** _richie and eddie_

**words:** _2,097_

* * *

**_2 months and 19 days remaining_ **

For the past week, Eddie had been uncharacteristically giddy about going to school every day. There were days he even debating on saying he was sick to get out of going, but recently, something changed. He didn’t want to think Richie was the cause even if in the back of his mind he knew it was. Eddie swung his backpack over one of his shoulders, stopping in the hallway to check his hair in the mirror. He had even started to care about what he looked like. Eddie tried to wear cooler clothes, style his hair in the way he knew Richie liked (he told Eddie about ten times when he first saw it) and even wore cologne.

Eddie ran his hair through his hair one more time, attempting to make it look messily cute. He nodded, satisfied, and ran down the stairs. He grabbed an apple off the counter, opening the front door and hopping onto his bike. Taking a bite of his apple, he used his foot to kick the kickstand off and started to peddle down the street. He arrived at school minutes later, hooking his bike up to the bike rack to ensure no one stole it. He was about to go inside when he heard someone yelp and then someone else laugh. Eddie walked to where he heard the noise, instantly becoming mad at the sight before him. Ben stood against the wall as Henry Bowers taunted him, holding his phone higher than Ben could reach. Eddie had befriended Ben in his first and third period. He was a nice guy who Eddie wanted to get to know better.

“Henry, leave him alone,” Eddie said in an attempt to be authoritative. Henry stopped, turning to look at Eddie with a smirk on his face.

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t Richie’s new boy-toy. You know, just because you think you’re with him, doesn’t make you unstoppable.” He said, walking up to Eddie just to tower over him. “Or is he?” A voice questioned, that Eddie immediately recognized to be Richie. He walked up behind Eddie, sliding his sunglasses off his face and hooking them in the neck of his shirt. Richie threw an arm over Eddie’s shoulders. “Knock it off, Bowers, before I knock you on your ass.”

“Wow, Eds, you can’t even defend yourself?” Henry chuckled. Eddie felt Richie’s body tense against him at the use of that nickname.

Richie let his arm slide off of Eddie, walking up to Henry. “Leave it. You don’t want to pick a fight with me.”

Henry chuckled, pushing Richie back from him. “Chill out, fag. I’m leaving.”

Richie’s grin faded for a second before it came right back. Eddie could tell that insult bothered him more than any other. Henry tossed Ben’s phone onto the concrete, the sound of it hitting the ground enough to make anyone audible cringe. It was definitely cracked. Henry walked past Richie, intentionally hitting him with his shoulder. Eddie bent down and picked up the phone, seeing a couple hairline cracks across the screen. They weren’t too noticeable.

“You’re in luck, Ben, it doesn’t look too bad.” Eddie smiled a bit, handing over his phone. Ben smiled back.

“Thanks for trying to stand up for me, Eddie.” He said, putting the phone in his pocket.

“Yeah, I guess Richie helped too.”

Richie grinned, throwing his arm around Eddie again. “I did all of the work, thank you very much.” Eddie pushed his arm off, rolling his eyes.

“Shouldn’t you be heading to first period?” Eddie asked, looking back at Richie.

“Shouldn’t you?” Richie mocked, gently pushing Eddie. “I’ll see you second period, Eds.”

“Don’t call me that!” Eddie called and he saw Richie turn on his heel, winking. “Don’t do that either!”

Richie smirked. “By the way, I like your hair. It’s cute,” He said, turning back around and walking through the front double doors of the school. Eddie turned to Ben, offering him a smile. However, Ben was chuckling. “You’re dating him?”

“Don’t be stupid, Ben. I’m not dating him. I don’t even like him.” Eddie defended, even if his heart starting beating at the mention of dating Richie.

“Oh, yeah? So that blush on your face is nothing? Plus, he called you cute.” Ben asked, gently nudging Eddie as they walked. Eddie felt himself blush again, nudging Ben back.

“It’s nothing.”

“Is it? Or do you like Richie?” Ben pressed, a knowing smirk creeping onto his face as Eddie attempted to stutter out a response.

“I don’t- I can’t- fuck.” Eddie had finally realized or came to terms with the fact, that he liked Richie. He felt it hit him like a train. This really wasn’t good.

“Aha! So you do!” Ben said, a little too loudly for Eddie’s liking. He hit Ben’s shoulder.

“Shut up, Ben. I don’t need everyone knowing, especially Richie. Oh, God Richie can never find out.”

“What do you mean, Eddie? Tell him!”

“I am not telling him! He doesn’t like me like that, trust me, he winks at everyone.”

“He would’ve moved onto someone else. I know how he is and he wouldn’t have waited this long

“What do you mean? You have to tell him.” Ben protested.

Eddie shook his head violently, walking into his first period classroom with Ben not fair behind him. “No, and we are done talking about this.”

Ben frowned a little. “Eddie-”

“Shut up, Ben, okay?”

Ben nodded a little, sliding into the seat next to Eddie. He glanced over at the smaller boy to find him smiling down at his phone. The name at the top of the messages read ‘Richie’. Ben smiled a little before focusing on getting his stuff together for first period. Before the teacher started talking, Ben leaned over and whispered “try kissing him tonight. See what happens.”

Eddie choked back a yell. “What? Are you crazy?”

Ben shrugged. “Think about it, Eddie.”

Eddie stared down at his phone for a minute before quickly unlocking it. It was now or never. He opened his and Richie’s text conversation, slowing typing in: ‘wanna come over after school?’ His thumb hovered over the send button before he pushed down, sending the message. The response was almost immediate.

‘hell yeah!’

* * *

Eddie smiled when he heard the doorbell to his front door ring. He jumped up and raced down the stairs, excitedly swinging the door open.

Richie smiled upon seeing the door open. “Hey, Eddie Spaghetti. Ready to get your ass beat in COD?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “In your dreams, Tozier, and don’t call me that.”

Richie chuckled, making his way upstairs into Eddie’s room and turning on his Playstation. Eddie tossed him a controller before sitting down on a beanbag beside him.

After a couple games, Eddie couldn’t seem to get Ben’s comments out of his head. Especially the one where he suggested he kiss Richie. He couldn’t… could he?

Eddie was staring at Richie and he didn’t even notice until Richie waved a hand in front of his face. “Eds? You okay? Your character has been running into the same wall for about a minute.”

Eddie bit his lip. The possibility of rejection swarmed in his head.

“Eddie?”

Before Eddie had even realized he had made up his mind, his body had moved forward quickly. His lips pressed against Richie’s harshly, maybe too hard. He nearly missed, his mouth half on top of Richie’s, half on his skin. Richie was frozen.

Eddie pulled away a few seconds later, his cheeks a violent shade of pink. Richie’s eyes were wide. Eddie stared at him, pleading him silently to give a reaction.

A shit-eating grin spread across Richie’s face before he grabbed Eddie’s face with his hands and pressed his lips against Eddie’s. He instantaneously recuperated, sliding his shaky hand up his neck and into Richie’s curly hair.

Richie felt something odd when he kissed Eddie. He couldn’t put his finger on the feeling, but it wasn’t a bad one. To be completely honest, he loved it.

But it was just a bet.

A couple moments later, Richie pulled away and chuckled. He and Eddie stared at each other for a minute silently, Eddie slowly reaching up and pushing Richie’s glasses farther back up on his nose. “Wow, you really caught me off guard there, Eds. Who knew you had it in ya?”

Eddie blushed, pushing Richie off of him. “Shut the fuck up before I regret it.”

“Well, now I don’t know if I whether to ask you out on a date or not.” Richie chuckled.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “If your idea of a date is going to the arcade, then my answer is no.”

Richie shook his head. “No, it’s gonna be a surprise. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 7.” He said, watching as Eddie went to protest. “No but’s. Seven o’clock.”

Eddie rolled his eyes but agreed.

* * *

Eddie checked his hair and outfit for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. He was nervous. This was his first proper date and he didn’t quite know what to do. He dressed up nicely and did his hair how Richie seemed to like. He pulled gently on the sleeves of his sweater, nervously rubbing the fabric between his fingers.

A car horn honked at precisely 7 o’clock. Eddie raced outside before his mother could protest and walked down his driveway to get the driver’s seat of Richie’s truck. He put his foot on the running board and hoisted himself up so he could be eye level with Richie.

Richie looked him up and down. “Wow, I really picked a man. You look hot, Eddie Spaghetti.”

Eddie blushed and shook his head, reaching inside to flick Richie’s head. As he was pulling his hand back, Richie grabbed it and licked it.

“Ew!” Eddie made a face, wiping the purposeful spit off on Richie’s shirt. “You are disgusting, Tozier!”

“Only when I’m with you, Eds.” Richie winked. “Get in, time’s a-wastin’.”

Eddie walked over to the passenger side of the truck and got in. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. I told you that it would be yesterday. Use that cute brain of yours.”

Eddie stared at Richie. “How is my brain cute? It’s literally an organ-”

“Shush, lad. We shall arrive at our destination in less than five minutes.” Richie said, faking a terrible British accent.

Soon enough, Richie pulled into a small diner and turned off his truck. He gestured for Eddie to get out while he did the same. He waited until Eddie was beside him before throwing his arm over Eddie’s shoulders, pulling him closer.

Richie led Eddie to a table, sitting in the booth across from him.

Eddie glanced around the small diner, chuckling. “This is the most cliche of dates, Richie.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Richie asked defensively. “I think small diners are great.”

Eddie smiled and shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong with it.”

“Good.” Richie picked up one of the plastic menus, deciding on a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake. Eddie settled on grilled cheese and a mint shake.

“I still can’t believe you made me try mint.”

“And that you liked it?” Eddie asked, a small smirk on his face as he took one of Richie’s fries.

“I did not like it,” Richie argued

Eddie shook his head. “Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his milkshake. “Yes, you di-”

“Eds, go out with me,”

Eddie choked on the milkshake, pushing it away as he coughed. “What?”

“Go out with me.” Richie repeated.

Eddie stared at him for a moment, a smile he couldn’t hold back appearing on his face. “Why the hell not.”

Richie grinned, eating a fry. Step one of the bet complete in only two weeks. But he couldn’t help but feel bad. Eddie never did anything to him and he was completely playing him. He let out a sigh, leaning back in the seat and drinking his milkshake. He would figure something out. He didn’t want to hurt Eddie. He couldn’t.

* * *

**heyheyeheyehey!**

**this ones a bit longer, i hope its good! its starting pick up ;)**


	4. part iv

**hey whats up whATS HAPPENING**

**i hope y’all enjoy this and the PLOT IS THICKENING  
i promise this doesnt turn out weird or anything, i promise it ALL MEANS SOMETHING**

**bare WITH ME**

**okay ily all**

**[part one](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166623526965/just-a-bet), ** **[part two](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166798749945/just-a-bet-part-ii), [part three](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166964142185/just-a-bet-part-iii)**

**summary:** _beverly bets richie he can’t get with the new kid, eddie, in under three months. richie disagrees_

**pairing:** _eddie and richie_

**words:** _1550_

* * *

**  
  
**

**_2 months and 18 days remaining_ **

Richie let out a long sigh as his alarm went off. He laid still with his eyes closed for a few moments, slowly managing to drag himself out of his warm bed. He sluggishly made his way to the bathroom connected to his room and turning on the shower faucet. Richie peeled his sleeping clothes off, letting them fall to the cold tile floor. He reached his hand into the shower and felt the water heating up. Richie narrowed his eyes in an attempt to help him see where he was going but it was no use. He couldn’t see for shit without his glasses which were still sitting on his bedside table. Richie stepped into the warm water, leaning his head back as the feeling of sudden warmth invaded his body.

As he was rinsing the shampoo out of his hair, he heard his phone go off. Someone had texted him. Richie finished showering fairly quickly and grabbed a towel, wrapping it securely around his waist. He walked out into his bedroom, picking up glasses and his phone. He placed his glasses on his nose. The text, it was from Eddie. It was a generic good morning message.

Then it hit Richie that he was indeed dating Eddie now. A small grin spread across his face, replying to Eddie’s text with a ‘good morning sugartits.’

Eddie replied in a minute, sending the middle finger emoji. Richie chuckled.

He made his way to his closet, picking out a pair of jeans and a blue and white Hawaiian shirt, a classic. Richie changed quickly, brushing his teeth and hair before heading out his front door, keys in hand.

Richie shoved his key into the ignition, turning the key to the right to start his truck. He threw his bag in the passenger seat, hopping into the driver’s seat. Richie turned the radio on, turning the volume up to halfway. He backed out of his driveway and onto the street, driving in the direction of the school.

“I hear the drums echoing tonight…”

Richie grinned, turning the music up louder. This song instantly made him giddy somehow. Africa reminded Richie of Eddie, he realized, the grin on his face growing wider at the memory of Eddie singing with him after their ice cream date. He remembered how cute he was when he was air drumming to the beat. He and Richie got along. That’s why Richie liked him so much.  _I like him._

Richie nearly hit the car in front of him as he slammed on his brakes at the last second. His breath hitched in his throat as he realized.  _He liked Eddie_.  _It was just a stupid bet, how could Richie like him?_

But it wasn’t a just a bet. He wouldn’t have enjoyed his time with Eddie as much as he did if it was just a bet. Eddie made him happy and Richie didn’t even realize how happy he was until now.  _Fuck._

* * *

“Hey Eddie,” a girl, whom Eddie didn’t know, said shyly as he passed. He gave her a polite, small smile. Eddie wasn’t quite used to people being oddly nice to him yet. Hell, he didn’t think he’d ever be. All he did was start dating Richie last night and it was like everyone already knew. Eddie approached his locker, immediately frowning when he saw the word ‘fag’ written in permanent black marker on it. He stared at the word scrawled across the navy blue locker and tried not to get upset. Being gay still isn’t fully accepted and there’s little to nothing Eddie could do about it.

“Here.”

Eddie turned his head at the sound of a voice. Bill, Richie’s friend, held a travel size spray bottle and a rag in his hand. The peach rag at blue and black stains on it, seemingly have been used previously. The spray bottle had a dull blue liquid inside.

“It’s Win-Windex.” Bill uttered shyly. “I’ve had to clean stuff o-off my locker before too, it comes right off.”

Eddie took the items from Bill’s hands. “Thanks, Bill.” He said softly, giving him a smile. Eddie sprayed a bit on his locker and used the rag to wipe it off. Bill was right, it comes right off.

He turned around and handed them back to Bill. “Thanks again.”

“No problem,” Bill said, waving a little before walking off down the hallway. Eddie entered the combination on his locker, pulling it open. He was putting his backpack in his locker when the locker slammed shut in front of him, narrowly missing his hand.

“Jesus, Richie,” Eddie mumbled, turning around to look at the other boy. “Was that necessary?”

Richie smiled. “Of course.” He said, pushing Eddie up against the lockers. He stared at Eddie for a second before deciding this was the only way to know he liked Eddie for sure. “This is also very necessary.”

“Wha-” Eddie’s question was cut off by Richie pressing his mouth onto Eddie’s. He stood rigid for a second, shocked before he relaxed into the kiss. He recuperated, using the hand that had made its way onto Richie’s neck to pull him closer.

Richie was screaming in his head. _He liked Eddie_. He wanted to kiss him, he wanted to date him for real. Not for some stupid bet. Eddie pulled away from Richie, quietly uttering that everyone was staring at them.

“Who cares?” Richie answered softly, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

The warning bell rang overhead, signaling they had a few minutes left to get to first period. Eddie gently pushed Richie back and opened his locker again, getting his books. “See you second period, Tozier.” He smiled, walking off.

Richie had a small grin on his face. “See ya, Eds!”

“Don’t call me that!” Eddie called before turning the corner, out of sight.

“Damn, Richie. You really went in for that one, huh?” Beverly asked, walking up to Richie with a smirk on her face.

Richie laughed a bit. “I guess I did.” He stopped for a moment, finally deciding on his words. “Listen, Bev, I don’t think I wanna do this bet anymore.” He admitted, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Beverly snickered. “Yeah, okay, sure. So, you ate his face in this very hallway and you’re telling me you want to drop the bet?”

Richie shrugged. “I dunno. I feel bad, you know? He doesn’t deserve it.”

She ruffled his hair gently. “Chill out, Rich, he’s just the new kid. If he gets upset, he’ll move on to someone or something else. No biggie.”

“But Bev-”

“What are we talking about?” Stan questioned as he approached, Bill not far behind him.

“Richie here wants to back out of the bet. But I say no. He agreed and that’s that.” Beverly stated, sitting down in the plastic chair near her desk.

Stan nodded. “She’s got a point.”

Bill frowned a little. “G-Guys, it kinda is unfair to E-Eddie.”

Beverly raised an eyebrow at him. “Since when did you care, Billy?”

“Yeah, Bill? What, do you like Eddie or something?” Stan asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Bill shook his head immediately. “No.” But he was lying. Bill had liked Eddie ever since he saw him, but Beverly announced the bet before he could say anything. And now, Richie had him all to himself.

* * *

Bill was walking to the baseball fields with Stan, who had soccer practice in the same area behind the school. The boys walked in silence, both of them trying to figure out what to say. Stan glanced at Bill and let a breath out through his nose. “Bill, you like Eddie, don’t you?”

Bill stopped completely in his tracks, Stan walking a few steps before realizing Bill wasn’t beside him anymore. ‘S-Stan-”

Stan shook his head. “Bill, you can tell me,” he said, walking up to the other boy. “It’s okay.”

Bill looked at the ground, eyeing his baseball cleats like they were the most interesting thing he could be staring at. He shrugged slightly. “I guess.” He mumbled softly.

Stan nudged Bill, trying to get him to continue walking. Bill obliged, keeping a slow pace with Stan as they walked. “Listen,” Stan started.  “Let this whole bet thing play out. I think that Eddie will find out and then you’ll have your chance, okay?”

“Have your chance for what?” A voice asked suddenly. Stan and Bill both jumped.

“Jesus, R-Richie.” Bill stuttered, hoisting his baseball bag farther up on his shoulder.

“I scare ya?” He asked, smiling. “Listen, I gotta get to the field. I don’t have my cleats on yet and coach will whoop my ass if I don’t hurry up. I’ll see you in a minute, Stan. See ya tomorrow, Big Bill.” Richie finished, walking ahead of both of them.

Bill watched as Richie jogged away and out of earshot. “Do you think he-he heard?”

Stan shook his head, sharing a nervous glance with Bill. This all just got a lot more complicated.

* * *

**im sorry it was lowkey short**

**i proMISE BILL LIKING EDDIE IS A PLOT THING  
IT WILL MAKE SENSE LATER  
BARE WITH ME**

**this is not turning into a bill x eddie i assure you**


	5. part v

**hey !!**

**sorry this took some time, was an accident i promise**

**remember if you wanna make moodboards or playlists, you can! just make sure to message it to me so im sure to see it. i appreciate you all so much**

**thank you for all the support on this story. it truly means the world, especially after that whole story being stolen dilemma.**

**[part one](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166623526965/just-a-bet), [part two](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166798749945/just-a-bet-part-ii), [part three](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166964142185/just-a-bet-part-iii), [part four](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/167107621115/just-a-bet-iv)**

**summary:**   _beverly bets richie he can’t get with the new kid, eddie, and sleep with him in three months. richie disagrees._

 **pairing** :  _richie x eddie_

 **words:**   _2056_

* * *

**_2 months and 14 days remaining_ **

Eddie knew something was wrong when he walked into school that morning. He felt eyes glued to the back of his head, piercing his skull with their stares. He hated it. He absolutely couldn’t stand it. It was like everyone around him knew something he didn’t. People whispered as he walked by, some even abruptly stopping their conversations when he approached. Eddie balled his hands into fists, attempting to calm his nerves. His hands were shaking a little, his legs a bit wobbly as he walked down the hallway. Eddie finally reached his locker, letting out a breath through his nostrils. His relief didn’t last long, though.

Multiple homophobic slurs were strewn about his locker door, written in the same scratchy handwriting as before. Angry tears filled his eyes, his vision blurring as he tried to wipe the words off with his sweater sleeve. The marker smudged only a little, frustrating the boy even more. He could feel the judgemental eyes boring into the back of his head, watching as Eddie tried to viciously scrub the ink off.

“Eddie,” a voice said calmly. It was that of a female, oddly familiar to Eddie, though he couldn’t quite put a finger on who it was. He ignored them and continued to rub away at the metal surface of his locker, even if his attempts were proving to be fruitless. “Eddie.” The same voice repeated, but this time with more authority. Once again, Eddie paid no mind to them, still scrubbing away at the harsh words that were still visible.

“Eddie!” The person placed their hand on Eddie’s shoulder, who immediately turned and shoved their hand off. The hand and voice belonged to Rachel, the girl who was working the counter at the ice cream place by the park. She stared at Eddie for a moment, calculating her next move. Eddie could tell she wasn’t there to be friendly.

She glanced around the hallway. Most people already had lost interest in the situation, heading to first period before the bell rang. It was mostly empty. Eddie watched her silently, wondering why she was even standing here, let alone trying to talk to him.

“I heard you were dating Richie, is that true?” Rachel asked, a hint of malice in her voice when she mentioned Richie’s name, but had a smile on her face.

“No, we just kissed in this very spot a couple days ago for the fun of it.” Eddie quipped, looking at her with an annoyed expression. Her fake grin faltered a bit, but she didn’t let her friendly facade drop.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Eddie, everyone knows,” Rachel spoke with the same tone you’d use on a child. Eddie hated that, too.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot.” He deadpanned, reaching over to open his locker. Once it was open, however, Rachel slammed it closed. “Why does everyone do that?” Eddie mumbled softly to himself, eventually glancing over at her. He raised his eyebrows at her, silently questioning her actions.

“You can’t date Richie.” Rachel said, her faux convivial persona gone.

Eddie let out an exasperated sigh. “Rachel-”

“No!” She interjected. “You can’t be with him, Eddie.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and attempted to open his locker but again, it was shut. He was getting really tired of her. He tried once again. “Seriously, just-”

Once more, he was interrupted. That’s when he snapped. “Listen,” he spat, all of his pent-up anger from this morning was spilling out into his words. “I don’t care what your intentions are. I don’t care if you’re homophobic, I don’t care if you’re just trying to bang my boyfriend. Leave me the hell alone. Go suck Henry Bowers or, better yet, the boyfriend you seem to forget you have.”

Rachel stared at Eddie, her expression vex. “What did you just call me?”

Eddie opened his locker, this time it didn’t get slammed shut. “Well, I didn’t call you much of anything but if you were smart, you could figure out what I was insinuating.” He grabbed his books and closed the locker door. Eddie turned and walked quickly towards his first period. He slid down into his seat, out of breath.

“You good?” Ben asked.

“Yeah.”

* * *

The final bell of the day rang, hundreds of kids throughout the school hopping out of their seats and racing out the doors, in search of freedom. Eddie wasn’t one of those kids, though. He hated the crowded hallways and constant hellos thrown his way, purely because of Richie. Eddie made his way out of his last period classroom when the hallways had started to clear, making his way to his locker to retrieve his jacket and backpack. He approached his locker, putting in the combination he does every day and pulling it open. Just like this morning, it was slammed shut. “For fuck’s sake,” Eddie mumbled. “That’s the third ti-“

Before he could even finish his sentence, Eddie was shoved violently up against his locker. His head smacked the metal wall behind him, his heart dropping at the sight in front of him. Rachel stood behind this boy, who was seemingly Rachel’s boyfriend. “I heard you called my girl some names, is that true?”

Eddie shook his head. “I didn’t call her anything.” His voice seemed steady, but he was shaking under this guy’s grip. His hands were curled into fists and he tried to keep them from moving too violently.

“Bullshit.” He snarled, slamming his hand right beside Eddie’s head. “I’m not scared of your fag boyfriend, Kaspbrak.” Eddie jumped a little, squeezing his eyes shut. “Look at me!”

Eddie opened his eyes. They were wide, terrified. As much as he wanted to pretend he wasn’t scared, he was. “Leave me alone. I didn’t call her anything.”

“Rachel, babe, what did you say he called you?” He questioned, turning his head to look at his girlfriend.

“A slut, Blake.” Rachel said simply, a smirk growing on her face as Blake turned back to Eddie.

“You heard her.” He said, pulling his hand back and punching Eddie on the cheek harshly. Eddie went cold. He couldn’t hear anymore, he couldn’t see. His ears were ringing as Blake punched him again and again in various places on his body. He didn’t quite remember when it stopped; when he realized that he was laying on the cold tile floor, or when he noticed the blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

“Eddie? Oh, my God, E-Eddie!” Someone’s voice shouted, but it was muffled to Eddie. His vision was blurry and he couldn’t hear anything properly. Someone was shaking him. “Eddie!”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know!”

“Eddie! Bill, he’s not responding!”

“Fu-Fuck, Ben, do something!”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know!”

Eddie suddenly coughed violently and leaned forward, blood splattering onto the white tile floor. He was startled by the sight of two familiar faces, both asking him questions quickly and in succession, none of it making any sense to Eddie.

“What happened? Was it Henry?” Ben inquired, frowning. He was genuinely upset. Eddie shook his head, attempting to stand. Bill grabbed his arm and Ben helped steady him up.

“We have to tell some-some-someone,” Bill said, worriedly.

“No.” Eddie choked out. “Don’t. I’m fine.”

“What? Ed, you are clearly not fine.” Ben protested. “You literally coughed up blood!”

“I said, I’m fine.” Eddie uttered, opening his locker slowly and getting his backpack out. Both boys stared at him, expecting him to just collapse on the spot. Eddie glanced at them. “I’m fine.” He repeated, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He winced, but he tried his best to not let it show on his face. He started to limp past them but stopped.

“Don’t tell Richie. Promise me you won’t.”

Bill and Ben shared a glance before Ben spoke up. “Shouldn’t he know?”

“No. He’ll make it worse than it has to be. Just promise me.”

Bill nodded. “I-I promise.” Ben nodded as well.

Both boys watched as Eddie walked off. Ben looked at Bill. “Do we tell RIchie?”

Bill shook his head. “I couldn’t do-do that to him.”

* * *

“Hey, Eds!” Richie said brightly as he approached the smaller boy. He leaned down to kiss Eddie on the cheek but frowned and pulled away at the gross taste it had. “What the fuck?” He wiped his mouth to find concealer on his hand.

Eddie was frozen in place. “Richie…”

Richie turned Eddie’s head toward him, gently running his hand along his cheek. The cream concealer came off, revealing a dark purple bruise. It was in that moment that Richie lost it. “What happened?” He asked softly, his hands on Eddie’s shoulders were tightening their grip.

Eddie shook his head. “Nothing,” he replied quietly.

Richie let out a sigh. “Eddie, please, what happened?”

Eddie looked him in the eye, feeling his eyes started to water. “No.” He pulled himself back from Richie, wiping his eyes with his sleeve quickly. “I’m fine.”

Richie watched as Eddie walked away, a slight limp in his step.

“It was Rachel's’ boyfriend, you know,” Beverly said, leaning against the wall behind Richie. “He beat him up because he apparently called her a slut that morning but Ben said he didn’t.”

Richie didn’t even bother to turn around. He jogged through the hallway, making his way towards the back exit where he knew Blake parked his car every morning. Sure enough, when Richie, pushed open the door, there he was. He stood, leaning against his truck with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Well, well, well.. If it isn’t-”

Blake’s sentence was cut off when Richie swung at him, hitting him in the jaw. Blake stumbled a little, nearly falling over but catching himself on his truck hood. Richie pushed up his sweater sleeves. “I heard you laid your hands on Eddie.”

“Yeah, and that fag-”

Richie grabbed Blake by the collar of his shirt and slammed him up against the car. He was livid. “Don’t ever talk about him like that. Ever!” He yelled, picking Blake up just to slam his head back down against the metal hood. Richie shoved him to the ground, throwing himself on top of him. “Wanna say it again? Huh?”

Blake chuckled. “He’s a fag, just like you.”

Richie could hear his heartbeat in his ears, It was a loud pounding and he could feel the blood on his hands. His vision went black, he didn’t remember getting up. He didn’t remember kicking him until he coughed up blood. He didn’t remember Beverly pulling him back, yelling at him to stop.

Richie sat on the gravel outside, staring at his bleeding knuckles. He couldn’t tell whose blood got on his dark green sweater or whose was dripping onto the gray rock he was sitting on. He watched as Beverly made it very clear to Blake not to say anything, to ‘keep his damn mouth shut.’

Beverly walked back to Richie, frowning at him. “You’re really a pain in the ass, you know that, Trashmouth?” She helped him stand, walking him inside and into the gym locker room. She opened her locker and retrieved a roll of bandage and got to work on his hands.

“I don’t understand,” Beverly said, cutting the thick silence in the room.

Richie took a minute to work himself up to saying anything back. “What do you mean?”

“You beat Blake up. The last time you even punched somebody was because they punched you. I’ve never seen you get that angry before.” As she was talking, she started to wrap the beige bandage around his hand.

“He hurt Eddie,” Richie responded simply as if the answer was obvious.

“He hurt Eddie? So what? You don’t have to defend him, Richie. It’s just a bet.”

“It’s not…” He uttered quietly, barely audible.

“What?” She hadn’t heard him.

Richie shook his head. “Nothing.”

Beverly stared at him for a moment. Richie was looking at his lap, staring at the blood stains on his shirt. He looked upset, but she didn’t press. “Okay.” She responded quietly, finishing up the bandage on his hand.

* * *

**hey hi waddup**

**hope you enjoyed that**

[masterlist](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/165600467610/masterlist)

[taglist/thoughts??](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/ask)

**thank you for reading <3**


	6. part vi

**hey! sorry this took so long, personal issues and what not**

**  
** **so uh, richie does throw up in this so if that bothers you, skip to the next time stamp thingy (its really not bad at all but idk if anyone gets sick bc of it sooOO)**

**[part one](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166623526965/just-a-bet), [two](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166798749945/just-a-bet-part-ii), [three](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/166964142185/just-a-bet-part-iii), [four](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/167107621115/just-a-bet-iv), [five](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/167287769505/just-a-bet-part-v)**

**summary:** _beverly bets richie he can’t get with the new kid, eddie, in under three months. richie disagrees_

**pairing:** _richie and eddie_

**words:** _1678_

* * *

**_2 months remaining_ **

“You are outright _sucking_  today, Rich.” Eddie commented as soon as he won the match, the fifth one in a row.

Richie let out a long breath through his nose. He didn’t say much, just muttering that he didn’t get much sleep last night. Truthfully, though, he was panicking on the inside. _You have to tell him_  repeated inside his head, getting louder and harder to ignore with every passing second.

“Richie? You okay?” Eddie asked. He had paused the game, eyeing Richie worriedly. He was uncharacteristically quiet and Eddie hated it. Richie never shuts up, mostly because of his ADHD but it never bothered Eddie. It was quite the opposite, actually.

“Richie,” Eddie says, his voice laced with concern. Richie was staring down at his lap, wringing his hands together. He looked nervous. Richie still made no move to respond. Eddie gently touched his shoulder, scooting closer to the boy who was still taller than him even when sitting. “What’s wrong?”

Richie looked like he was about to respond, his mouth gaped slightly. Eddie’s eyes widened as he watched Richie lurch, covering his mouth with his hand in a fist. He got up quickly, getting to the bathroom as fast as he could. Eddie got up slowly and made his way to the closed bathroom door. He knocked on the mahogany wood.

“Richie, are you okay?” Eddie asked, only to wince at the sound of him gagging. He frowned and opened the door to find Richie on the ground in front of the toilet, his glasses perched upon his curly mess of hair. Eddie walked over and crouched down next to him, sitting his butt on his heels. His hand found it’s way to Richie’s back, soothingly rubbing big circles on his skin.

Richie leaned forward, coughing. “Okay… I think I’m done.” He announced, leaning back against the white tub near the wall to support his back. Richie ran a hand through his hair to find his glasses, successfully placing them back on his nose.

“What happened?” Eddie inquired, sitting beside Richie.

Richie shrugged. “Hell if I know. I just got sick.”

Eddie watched him for a moment before standing. “I’ll uh, go make some toast and get you some water, alright? Go lay down.” He held out his hand.

Richie grabbed it, using it to help him up. “Thanks, Eds.” He placed a chaste kiss on Eddie’s cheek.

“That is gross. You just threw up and-”

“You love it, Eddie Spaghetti.” Richie interrupted, winking and laying back on Eddie’s bed.

“You are disgusting, Richie.”

“It’s what I do best!”

Eddie rolled his eyes, walking downstairs to the kitchen. Richie watched him leave, the panic in his stomach lowering. He had never thrown up because of being nervous, but it just got to him. He had never planned to tell Eddie, just break up with him after the bet was said and done. But this was so much more than a bet to Richie now. He truly, genuinely liked Eddie and the thought of him finding out or finding out about the bet from someone other than him scared him shitless.

Richie laid still, staring at the white ceiling above him. It was pristine, just like Eddie. Eddie didn’t deserve this. He deserved, however, to know. Richie had to tell him.

By the time Eddie had come up the stairs with a plate of toast and water in hand, Richie had already thought up a way to tell Eddie.

“Eds, next Saturday, would you go on a date with me?”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “I left to get toast and you want a date?”

Richie laughed a little, grabbing the plate and cup and setting them down. He grabbed Eddie’s waist and pulled him in between his legs, Eddie blushing like mad. Richie slid his hand up to Eddie’s cheek, pulling him down and kissing his soft lips gently. Eddie recuperated, setting his hands on Richie’s shoulders to balance himself.

He pulled away after a few more moments, Eddie red as usual and Richie smirking. “So, next Saturday?”

Eddie resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Depends. Where are we going?”

Richie gently tickled Eddie’s side, causing the smaller boy to giggle and back up a little. “It’s a surprise, Eddie Spaghetti!”

Eddie glared at Richie, but the smile on his face said he wasn’t really mad at all. “Fine, but if it’s something dumb, I will be very angry. Now, eat your toast.”

“What if I’d rather eat you di-”

“Richie, no.”

Richie’s laughter seemed to bounce off the walls and Eddie couldn’t help but smile.

* * *

**_1 month and 26 days remaining_ **

“Eddie, you need to calm down.” Ben’s voice flowed from out of Eddie’s MacBook, his face taking up the entire screen. Eddie had called him in attempt to help calm his nerves about the date today but it wasn’t working. “It’s not like you guys aren’t dating. He just wants to take you on a date, why the hell are you so nervous?”

“ _Because_  Ben, what if I don’t look cute enough?” Eddie protested, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world to worry about.

Ben scoffed, writing something down on a piece of paper. “You’re crazy.”

“I am not crazy, Ben.”

“Yes, Eddie, you are.”

“No, Ben, I’m-” Eddie was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. “Fuck! Okay, I have to go, bye!” He slammed his laptop closed and ran down the stairs, nearly tripping at the bottom. He answered the door out of breath. “Hi.” He breathed, his voice a bit unsteady.

“Gee, Eds, I really take your breath away, huh?” Richie had a big grin on his face. His hair was neater than normal but still messy as hell. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Never have you ever done that.”

“Oh, really?” Richie smirked, grabbing Eddie by the waist and pulling him outside. He kissed Eddie swiftly for a few moments before pulling back to see Eddie’s pink cheeks.

Eddie’s eyes opened slowly, a small smile on his face.

“Told ya.” Richie smiled.

The smile dropped off Eddie’s face and a scowl replaced it. “Shut up, Trashmouth.” He shut the door behind him before following Richie to his beat-up truck.

Richie drove them to a place Eddie didn’t know. It was a small patch of field with a lake in front of it. It was beautiful.

Richie shut off the truck and hopped out, opening the passenger truck door for Eddie. He mumbled about how he could do it himself but thanked Richie regardless.

“Okay,” Richie started. “Close your eyes.”

Eddie gave Richie an  _‘are you fucking kidding me?’_  look but closed his eyes. Eddie could hear rustling for a few moments before he spoke.

“Okay, open your eyes.”

Eddie opened his eyes, taking a second for his eyes to adjust to the light. Richie had spread out a red and black blanket with a small basket atop it. “Is this a picnic? You really like cliche dates, Trashmouth.”

Richie messed with his sleeve. “Is it okay? I can think of something el-”

He was silenced with a quick peck on the lips. Eddie smiled. “It’s perfect, Rich. Don’t worry.”

Richie grinned, gesturing Eddie to sit down. He did, Richie sitting next to him. He opened the wicker picnic basket, handing Eddie a sandwich.

They ate in a comforting silence, their free hands intertwined and resting on the blanket. It was peaceful, but Richie knew it wasn’t gonna last. The whole reason he asked Eddie here was to tell him the truth, but he didn’t know if he could anymore. He had to.

“Eds, I gotta tell you something,” Richie said suddenly, looking over to his left. Eddie looked back at him, a gentle smile on his face.  _Shit._  Richie didn’t want to tell him. He could imagine the soft grin falling off Eddie’s face and tears filling his eyes. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to hurt him.

“I..” Richie started, but he stopped himself. His mouth felt dry and he started to feel sick again.

Eddie watched Richie quietly, not wanting to egg him on. He was gonna be patient.

Richie squeezed his eyes shut, a long breath escaping his mouth. “Eds, I..”

Eddie knew he was nervous. ‘It’s okay, take your time.” Eddie said quietly, gripping his hand a little tighter.

“I uh…  _fuck_.” Richie laughed at himself in an attempt to calm himself down.  _You have to tell him_. “I just…”

_But I can’t._

“I really like you, Eddie,” Richie admitted softly, letting out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding in.

Eddie scoffed a little. “That’s what you wanted to say? Jesus, Rich, you made me nervous. I like you, too.”

Richie smiled, squeezing Eddie’s hand gently. “Good.”

Richie took Eddie home soon after that. He drove home in silence, his thoughts eating away at him. He felt like a coward and now, he realized, he had hurt Eddie more. That’s one more day of him not knowing because he couldn’t do it. He pulled into his driveway, angrily staring down at the steering wheel. 

“God dammit!” He yelled, punching the wheel, causing the horn to go off. He rested his forehead down on the top of the wheel, contemplating what to do.

He let out a sigh, sitting up. All he knew was that he was fucked.

* * *

**hi hello im sorry this took so long**

[masterlist](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/165600467610/masterlist)

[taglist/part 7??/thoughts](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/ask)

**thank you for reading! <3**


	7. part vii

**hey! im so sorry this took entirely as long as it did**

**i love every one of you so much and thank you for being patient**

* * *

_**1 month and 29 days remaining** _

Richie was exhausted. His ‘perfect’ plan to tell Eddie didn’t work and he was the definition of frustrated. He barely slept Sunday night and he didn’t sleep the night of the date. His eyes were bloodshot and the circles under them were more prominent than he’d ever seen them. Richie let out a of breath out of his nose. He felt so disconnected and disappointed, which was odd. It wasn’t like Eddie was mad. The date itself went well, it just didn’t go to plan. Not that his plan was going to have a good ending, anyway.

Richie arrived at school, slowly walking into the building. The lady at the front desk, Mrs. Lambert, gave him a look that he identified as ‘this kid is on drugs’. He ignored it.

“Damn, Rich!” Beverly chuckled as he approached the circular table their group sat at every morning before classes started. “High this early?”

Richie rolled his eyes.

Stanley leaned forward on the table, a playful smile on his face. “Geez, rolling your eyes at  _Bev_?” You’ve clearly been spending too much time with Eddie McShortShorts.”

Bill kicked him under the table and he chuckled. Richie didn’t notice. He grumbled a half-assed insult and plopped down in the chair.

“You okay, Ruh-Rich?” Bill asked.

Richie had placed his head on his folded arms. He nodded.

“You know, that bet-”

Richie’s head snapped up rapidly, so fast you could hear his neck crack.

“You have less than two months, you know,” Beverly said, glancing at her freshly painted, glossy nails. They were a pale lilac color. It reminded Richie of the shirt Eddie wore last week. He didn’t know why he remembered it, but he did. He’d really fallen for Eds, he’d realized.  _Why the hell else would a color remind Richie of someone_. He never paid attention to detail, ever.

“I don’t think he’s listening,” Bill mumbled softly, which projected Richie out of his thought bubble.

Beverly sighed. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

Richie shook his head no.

“I said, Eddie, is going to find out-”

“I’m going to find out what?” A familiar voice asked.

Richie felt his heart stop. His eyes went wide as he whipped around to face Eddie, trying to hide his obvious surprise.

Eddie had a soft grin on his face, but he still looked at the table members as if he were awaiting a response to his question.

“Beverly was talking about our soccer game this weekend.” Stan supplied helpfully. Richie looked at him and nodded the tiniest bit, thanking him silently. Stan did the same.

Beverly scoffed, shaking her head. “Actually, I was talking about this b-”

Bill had placed his hand over her mouth before she could continue. Eddie raised an eyebrow questioningly. They were all undeniably acting odd. Richie sat up straight, nervously chuckling. Eddie was looking at Richie, a confused expression written across his features.

No one saw Ben approaching from behind until he was right behind Eddie. “Hey, Eddie.” Richie could have died on the spot, Ben might’ve just saved him.

“Hey, Ben.” Eddie smiled, gently wringing his hands together. “What’s up?”

“I just needed you to look over this essay, if you could? I have to turn it in first period.” Ben asked sheepishly. He always hated asking favors of his friends.

Eddie nodded. “Of course!” He leaned down and pecked Richie on the lips. “I’ll see you soon, Rich. Bye.”

And off he went Richie most definitely not watching his ass as he left. As soon as he turned the corner, Richie turned to Beverly. “You are  _such_  a bitch.” He growled under his breath.

The first bell rang, causing most of the students in the cafeteria to start towards their first period classes. Beverly was among them, Richie watching her retreating form with anger in his eyes. He stood up, slinging his book bag over his shoulder and following a couple students behind her. Stan watched as Richie got up, seeing the glint in his eyes. Worry overtook his body when he realized Richie’s first period was in the other direction. He didn’t want Richie to do something he’d regret. But it was weird, he never got mad at Beverly like this. They were best friends and now it seemed as if Richie would pull her hair out if he could.

Stan glanced at Bill who had a glazed over look on his face. He guessed it was because of Eddie kissing Richie just moments prior in front of him. A frown coated his face but Stan didn’t have time to cheer him up. He nudged the other boy gently, encouraging him to head to class. Bill nodded silently, grabbing his satchel and walking in the direction of his Biology course.

Stan hurried out of the cafeteria and into the crowded hallways. They made him feel sick to his stomach. Too many people were near him and nothing was organized about these hallways. He tried to hold back the urge to cringe, following behind Richie the best he could.

Stan got shoved to the side by someone walking the opposite direction. He took the time to glare behind him at the person, but when he turned his head back, Richie was nowhere in front of him. “Shit.” He grumbled, trying to slip in between the people walking in the same direction.

Richie, however, had his eyes locked on his target. Beverly. His hands were balled into fists, so hard his knuckles were a pale shade of white. She had stopped in front of her locker to retrieve her books. The hallway was empty.  _Perfect._

Richie approached her, slamming his hands on either side of her head. Beverly jumped, turning around on her heel. “Jesus, Rich-”

“No!” He said, angrily.

Beverly looked shrunk against her locker. She couldn’t go anywhere so she started to sink down a little. She’d never seen Richie this mad before.

“Don’t say one more word about the bet, _ever,_ ” Richie grumbled. He was ballistic. “He almost heard and he can’t hear.” Richie slammed his fist down again, causing Beverly to jump again.

“ _Richie!_ ” Stan called from down the hallway. His voice sounded panicked. Richie ignored the voice. He took Beverly’s shoulders in his hands and shoved her back against the wall of lockers. She winced.

“Richie, I won’t! Why does it matter anyway?” Beverly asked quickly.

“It just  _matters_ , okay? Don’t say anything!” Richie frowned. “ _Please_.”

Before Beverly could answer, Stan had shoved Richie to the side, causing him to take a few steps to regain his balance. “What the hell, Richie? What are you doing?”

Richie didn’t know how to answer. His anger had gotten the best of him. He shook his head, taking a few steps backward before he turned and walked off towards his first period.

Stan looked to Beverly, quietly asking if she was alright. She nodded. “I’m just pissed. What is wrong with him?”

He sighed softly. “I think Eddie means more to him then he’s leading on.”

Beverly scoffed. “Oh, my God. Leave it to Richie to ruin a fucking joke.” She slammed her locker shut and walked off. Stan watched her, breathing deeply.

“Thank you so much, Eddie,” Ben said, for nearly the millionth time. Eddie chuckled gently.

“Of course. It looks good!” He encouraged. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

Ben nodded. “I hope. Oh! Mike and I are going bowling tonight. You wanna come? You can invite Richie if you want.”

Eddie smiled gently. “I’ll ask him, but I’ll be there even if he isn’t.”

Ben grinned. “Great! Just get there around 6, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Eddie leaned against the counter at the bowling alley, patiently awaiting the teenage worker to finish sorting the through shoes behind the counter. “Holy shit,”

He turned to see Blake in uniform, holding the size shoes Eddie had asked for. His blood ran cold.  _Fuck._

Eddie quickly grabbed the shoes from off the counter and held them close to his chest. He stuttered out a thank you before speed walking towards lane 7, where Richie, Ben, and Mike were. He must’ve been white as when he returned, Mike immediately asked if he was okay.

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine-yeah, I’m fine.” Eddie mumbled back, sitting down to distract himself by putting on the bowling shoes. Richie watched him with a concerned look on his face. His eyes met Mike’s, who had a similar expression on his face. Mike shrugged.

Richie sat down next to Eddie, putting a hand on his knee. “Eds, you okay?”

Eddie nodded quickly. “I’m fine, everything’s fine- I’m fine.”

Richie shook his head, gently squeezing his knee. “What’s wrong, Eddie?” He asked softly.

Eddie looked up into Richie’s eyes. His eyes were panicked, scared. “Blake works here.” He admitted shakily. He was bouncing his knee nervously. “He keeps looking over here and it’s freaking me out.”

Richie turned his head, making eye contact with Blake behind the counter. He narrowed his eyes and he turned back around, facing the shoe shelves. “Don’t worry about it,” Richie responded, turning his head back. “I’m here. It’ll be fine. It’s your turn.”

Eddie stood up, looking back at Richie who said: “go on.” He picked up one of the smaller bowling ball sizes, using his other hand to try and steady the obvious shakiness of his hands. He didn’t want to be scared of Blake, but how couldn’t he be?

Eddie jumped when he felt hands gently graze his sides. “Fuck, Richie.” He mumbled and he heard him chuckle, the air hitting the back of his ear. Richie’s hands snaked up his sides and to his arms.

“Relax,” Richie said softly. Eddie could smell his cologne and it comforted him a bit. “Just swing your arm back and let it go, kinda in the middle.”

Eddie nodded, doing as he was told. He knocked down 7 of the pins his first go and knocked the rest of them down in the second go.

Richie went next, plopping down next to Eddie after his turn. “You know, Eddie… There’s a dance next week at school.”

Eddie nodded, humming an ‘mhm’ in response. “And?”

“I want you to go with me,” Richie responded as if it was obvious.

Eddie grinned a little. “Sure thing, Rich. Only if we get ice cream after.”

“Of course, Eds. Anything for you.”

“Don’t call me that.”

* * *

**let me know how that was???**


	8. part viii

**hey guys! this took a super long time and im really sorry about that but WOW I DID IT**

**this is also pretty short so i hope y’all dont hate me**

**[previous chapter](https://80srichie.tumblr.com/post/169391764115/just-a-bet-part-vii) **

* * *

_**1 month and 22 days remaining** _

“Do I look okay?” Eddie asked nervously, looking at himself in the mirror situated on his wall. He heard Ben’s chair creak as he turned to look at the screen.

“Yes, I said you did 30 seconds ago,” Ben replied, leaning back to take a sip of his Dr. Pepper.

“I can’t do this!” Eddie sighed, plopping down on his wooden stool and laying his head in his folded arms that he rested on his desk.

“What do you mean?” Ben’s voice crackled and cut out for a moment but he could still be understood. Eddie shook his head. A million thoughts were running through his head and a lot of them were negative.

“I can’t dance, my tie is wrinkly-”

“Eddie-”

“No! I’m so screwed, oh God…” He groaned, gently hitting his head against his arm a couple times. It was minutes until Richie was to arrive and pick him up but Eddie was still panicking. He stood up reluctantly, adjusting his hair in the mirror. He could hear the soft sounds of Ben’s game coming through the laptop speakers. He adjusted the tie, pursing his lips as he decided to leave it alone and that he looked fine.

A horn blared from outside and Eddie’s heart rate increased tenfold. “Oh, God, I gotta go. Bye Ben!” Before Ben could reply, the call was ended. Eddie grabbed his phone and jacket, walking down the stairs at a quick pace and threw open the front door. He closed it behind him, breathing a sigh of relief that his mother hadn’t caught him. He walked up to the passenger side of the truck and hopped in.

Richie was speechless for a moment, looking over Eddie’s suit and hair. He looked amazing. Eddie was running his hands along his thighs, trying to rub out the wrinkles. He stopped for a moment, looking to his left to make eye contact with Richie. Eddie’s eyes looked into Richie’s brown ones, quickly glancing between his hands and him. “What?”

Richie grinned. “Lookin’ good, toots.” He put the truck into reverse and pulled out onto the street, heading in the direction of the school. Upon arrival, muffled music could be heard coming from the school along with lights shining through the windows.

Richie glanced over at Eddie. “You ready for your first dance?”

Eddie scoffed, faking offense. “How do you know it’s my first?”

The taller boy smirked, a thought coming to his head. “I’m taking your high school dance virginity!”

Eddie’s mouth hung open for a moment, clearly in shock and disbelief of what Richie had said. “What?”

“You heard me, Kaspbrak. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”

“Oh, put a sock in it,” Eddie replied, shoving Richie with both hands. He stumbled to the left a little bit, not actually falling as Eddie hadn’t pushed him hard enough for that. A small grin appeared on Richie’s features, Eddie starting to do the same.His smile was contagious.

They walked inside the building, dodging people as they made their way to the large gym. Eddie felt a hand on his shoulder and soft breath in his ear. “I’m gonna go talk to Stan for a sec, is that okay?”

Eddie nodded, feeling a soft kiss pressed to his neck before he saw Richie pass in front of him and off into the crowd. He felt awkward for a moment, standing alone in the middle of different groups of friends. He spotted Beverly talking to two other girls he didn’t know. He wasn’t gonna talk to them, just stand near them so he looked less out of place.

“No, yeah- It’s not real.” He heard her say as the music faded. “It’s all a bet. It’s all my doing, Richie was just up for the challenge.”

“Does Richie even like him?” One girl asked.

Beverly shook her head, a laugh leaving her lips. “Of course not, it’s all for the bet.”

Eddie felt his blood run cold. Was that all he was to Richie? A fucking bet? He turned on his heel, his cheeks hot with anger as he walked out of the gym.

Richie was still talking to Stan when he was silenced, Stan pointing to a very angry looking Eddie leaving the gym. “Dude… What did you do?”  
Richie was confused. What had he done? “I don’t know,” he replied. “I’m gonna go see if he’s alright, I’ll talk to you later.” He mumbled the last part, suddenly getting more worked up about the situation. Did Blake say something to him?

The hallway was much more quiet, one or two kids every few feet. Richie turned the corner, looking down the hallway on his right. On his left, however, was a glass door leading outside the school. Eddie was standing outside. He pushed one of the double doors open and approached him from behind. “Eds?”

Eddie whipped around, the building’s outside lights reflected off of his tears. His cheeks had tear stains running down them. “Don’t.”

Richie was mortified. What was going on? “Eddie, I-”

“Save it!” He snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “I should’ve known, fuck, I really should’ve guessed it. The popular kid, getting with the new kid, kinda cliche.”

“I don’t understand,” Richie whispered.

“I’m just a bet to you, huh, Richie? Is that all I am to you? A sick joke?” Eddie’s voice was quivering and it cracked halfway through the last sentence.

Richie’s throat went dry and his eyes went wide, wider than his glasses normally made them look. No. “Who told you that?” He asked, anger building up in him.

“I overheard Beverly telling two random girls.” Eddie hissed. “What does it matter? Isn’t she the one who set it all up?”

“Eddie…” Richie trailed off. He tried desperately to think of something, anything, to cover his ass. “It’s Stan.”

Eddie blinked, wiping at his left eye. “What?”

“She was talking about the bet she gave me last year.” He said quickly. “She bet I couldn’t kiss Stan and I did- That’s what she was on about. Did one of the girls have brown hair, shoulder length?”

Eddie nodded slowly.

“That’s Greta, she was sick practically all of junior year so she missed all of it. She was probably just catching her up.” Richie said, placing his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. “You aren’t just a bet to me, Eddie, I really like you.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, looking at the ground. “You’re so full of shit, Tozier.”

Richie was panicking on the inside but he was trying desperately not to show it. “Please, Eddie. I’m being serious.”

Eddie picked up his head, his eyes flickering up to Richie’s. He studied the taller boy for a moment. He saw no sign of him lying in his gaze. He looked… genuine. “Fine.” He mumbled, pushing Richie’s arms off his shoulders.

“Are you mad?” Richie asked softly.

Eddie shrugged. “I mean, I was, now I’m just confused on whether I should be mad at you or not.”

Richie smirked a bit. “That wasn’t a yes.” He grabbed Eddie’s chin with his hand, tilting his head up for a better angle. He pressed his lips onto Eddie’s, feeling the familiar tingle in his body as he did so.

It took a few seconds for Eddie to reciprocate, but he did, deciding that he did believe him and that, man, he really did like Richie.

A few moments later, Richie pulled back with a small grin on his face. “How about we ditch all these losers and go get ice cream; maybe make out in my car a bit, yeah?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Only if you’re paying, you dick.”

Richie smiled. “That’s me.” He winked, grabbing Eddie’s hand and leading him to the front parking lot where his truck was located. He watched Eddie get in the car with a small smile on his face. He heard the car door close and he let out a shaky ‘thank god’ before he got in the driver’s seat.

The car ride was silent until Eddie spoke softly. “Rich?”

Richie hummed, signaling he was paying attention but kept his eyes on the road.

Eddie played with his hands in his lap for a moment before sighing. “Do you actually like me?” His tone was timid, he sounded afraid to ask.

Richie nodded. “I really do.”

“And…” He messed with the end of his tie, trying to form words. “What you said about the bet, that’s true?”

Richie bit in the inside of his lip. He considered telling him, spilling it all out but… almost losing him was too much. “Yes.” He confirmed.

Eddie nodded, leaning back in the seat. He grabbed Richie’s free hand, the one that was sitting on his thigh and interlocked her fingers. “Okay.”

* * *

**hey! so??? HOW WAS IT?? DID YOU PANIC ???**


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